Bears Set To Enter New Era
BERKELEY – You might think that a head coach heading into his 18th year would have seen everything by now, but that is not the case for Neil McGuire of the California women’s soccer team. When he and the Golden Bears reported to camp at Edwards Stadium earlier this week, it officially rang in the new era as the program heads in to its first season with the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“We feel blessed to be joining the ACC, a truly exceptional conference,” McGuire said. “From a soccer perspective we will be competing against the nation’s best, and we are excited for our student-athletes to be able to showcase their talents, and represent Cal is a manner that will make our university proud.”
The Bears are coming off their third straight winning season going 7-6-6 and a fifth-place finish in its final Pac-12 campaign with a 4-3-4 mark. Of the 35 student-athletes that made those accomplishments possible, 25 of them are returning, including eight starters. Among those eight are Skylar Briggs and Mya Daily, who opted to come back for their fifth year, and Mia Fontana, who decided to come back for her sixth.
“Having Skylar, Mya and Mia back is fantastic,” McGuire said. “They are top-level players. Experience at this level is vital and we go into this season with a highly experienced and mature team.”
Last season that trio combined for 3,797 minutes, two game winners, and 10 points with Daily and Briggs ranking fourth and fifth in minutes, respectively. The pair of fifth years are two of the four returners that started every contest. Despite missing seven matches, Fontana finished third on the team with three goals and was named third-team All-Pac-12. The team’s three most experienced Bears bring heart and leadership to the pitch and will be crucial as they head into what is widely regarded as the top women’s soccer conference in the nation.
Another trio of experienced leaders that McGuire is excited about came to Berkeley through the transfer portal – all three coming from prominent west coast programs. Graduate students Julia Leontini (Stanford) and Kelly McManus (UCLA) will don the Blue and Gold in what is likely their last collegiate season, and junior Alex Klos (Santa Clara) comes in for the second half of her career.
“Adding Julia Leotini from Stanford, Kelly McManus from UCLA, and Alex Klos from Santa Clara brings not only great…
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